Great compilation of articles at Legal Insurrection:
South Korea’s Ruling Party Wants Faster Transfer of Military Control from U.S.
The debacle of the Afghanistan Abandonment is rippling throughout American foreign relations.
In the wake of the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan, the head of South Korea’s ruling Democratic Party is now asking to gain operational control of its military, the leader of the country’s ruling Democratic Party.
“The Afghanistan crisis should be used as an opportunity to further nurture the will and ability of a strong independent defense by recovering wartime OPCON,” Rep. Song Young-gil wrote in a Wednesday Facebook post.
In wartime, combined U.S. and South Korean forces would be led by the head of United States Forces Korea, currently Gen. Paul LaCamera. The administration of South Korean President Moon Jae-in has looked to accelerate the process of gaining full control over its military.
“We need not only the importance of the ROK-U.S. alliance, but also an attitude of self-defense that our country will protect itself,” Song wrote. The Republic of Korea is the official name of South Korea.
They understand that Joe can fuck things up on their border as well. A bit more - this link to Reuters:
Afghanistan shows need for U.S. to give S.Korea control of troops, lawmaker says
The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan underscores the need for South Korea to quickly secure wartime operational control of its troops from the United States, a leader of the ruling Democratic Party said on Wednesday.
The defeat of the Afghan government after the withdrawal of U.S. forces has sparked debate over the strength of American commitments in places such as Taiwan and South Korea.
Since the 1950-1953 Korean War, the American military has retained authority to control hundreds of thousands of South Korean forces alongside the roughly 28,500 U.S. troops in the country if another war breaks out.
And finally, what prompted South Korea's urgency - from United Press International:
South Korean ambassador to Afghanistan discloses details of harrowing evacuation
The South Korean ambassador to Afghanistan, who stayed behind to assist with the evacuation of the last remaining Korean citizen in the southwest Asian nation, recalled a harrowing escape from the capital as the Taliban swept into Kabul.
Ambassador Choi Tae-ho said in an interview with South Korean news service News 1 on Wednesday that the embassy staff and a South Korean civilian left Afghanistan as the sound of nearby gunshots grew in frequency and evacuation helicopters whirred overhead.
"It was a situation comparable to wars depicted in the movies," Choi said.
And the South Korean government?
South Korea's foreign ministry issued an emergency evacuation order requiring all Korean nationals to leave by Sunday. Choi confirmed the embassy destroyed all sensitive documents on site before staff left the country.
They did better than our government did. Destroyed all sensitive documents and got the nationals as well as Embassy staff the hell outta there.
A lot of rogue nations are going to take advantage of the fact that the United States of America is at a very weak point in its history. Shit is going to happen. Sleeper cells waking up in the USA, China moving on Taiwan, Russia on Eastern Europe. I can see Fat-boy Kim thinking that he had a chance with the other half of his despot kingdom. Going to be a real shit-show for five years or so.
The one thing that I am interested in seeing is if China moves into Afghanistan. Lots of rare earth minerals there as well as lithium and gold and they do share a border. Considering China's treatment of #1) non CCP "troublemakers" and #2) muslims in general, the Taliban may find themselves wishing they had stuck with the devil they knew.
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